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Driver charged with DUI after crashing into museum's brick wall

By TEDDY KULMALA

Staff Photo by Teddy Kulmala
A portion of the wall at the Aiken County Historical Museum was destroyed on Wednesday morning when an alleged drunken driver struck it with her vehicle.

A teenager who was driving under the influence allegedly crashed her vehicle through a decades-old wall surrounding the Aiken County Historical Museum, according to the Aiken Department of Public Safety.

Lindsey Nicole Boyd, 19, of Roses Run in Aiken, was charged with driving under the influence, no proof of insurance and minor in possession of alcohol. She was placed in the Aiken County detention center, but had been released by Wednesday afternoon.

The incident happened at about 12:20 a.m. On Wednesday at the intersection of Laurens Street and South Boundary Avenue, according to a report. Officers arriving on the scene found that a Chevrolet Trailblazer had traveled completely through the brick wall around the Aiken County Historical Museum.

While speaking with officers, Boyd told them she was about to have a panic attack, fell to the ground on her knees in a possible seizure and began vomiting, according to the report.

Officers investigating found an open and empty beer can on the ground next to the vehicle, and another open can in front of the vehicle, according to the report. An additional beer can that was located in the vehicle between the center console and passenger seat was unopened and cold to the touch.

Investigators determined Boyd was driving south on Laurens Street toward South Boundary Avenue, and while attempting to make a left turn onto South Boundary, her vehicle traveled into the oncoming traffic lane of Laurens Street and then South Boundary, according to the report. The car traveled across South Boundary, off the roadway and into the brick wall.

According to the report, Boyd and the other occupants in the vehicle had been drinking before the crash.

At the hospital, Boyd exhibited signs of intoxication; however, officers were unable to perform field sobriety tests or a breathalyzer because she had been transported for her injuries, and the time to have a breath sample was exceeded, according to the report.

Boyd refused to provide a blood sample for analysis, according to the report.

The exact age of the wall is not known; however, the museum is housed in a 1930s Winter Colony mansion called Banksia.

Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since August 2012.

He is a native of Williston and majored in communication studies at Clemson University.

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